Parents as Teachers’ annual international conference continues to attract a wide swath of early childhood development professionals. Last year, many gathered to learn best practices in home visiting, while others gained insights around strengthening families and preparing young children for entering kindergarten.

With each passing year, the conferences get bigger and better. Under the theme Unmasking Potential, 2,200 registered; 1,743 in person and 456 attended last year’s conference virtually. They helped usher in a new attendance record in New Orleans.

Presented to a sold-out audience, the conference amplified the importance of home visiting as a strategy to help address issues like maternal and infant mortality and morbidity, and advanced training on pre-natal support.

Opening Session keynoter Janai Norman, an anchor on ABC’s Good Morning America, captivated the audience with her childbearing experience and the maternal mortality crisis facing black and brown women during pregnancy. New York Times Reporter Erica Green, along with doulas from Parents as Teachers Show Me Strong Families affiliate, led a panel discussion on the importance of parental engagement in the early years of a child’s life.

Several Parents as Teachers board members attended the conference. Board Chair, Dr. Mark Ginsberg and members Susan Gibson, Dr. Jamie Singleton, Stephen Rosenblum, Lori Connors-Tadros, and Lori McClung, joined Parents as Teachers President and CEO Constance Gully on stage to present awards.

Parents as Teachers Board Members, Dr. Joshua Sparrow, executive director of the Brazelton Touchpoints Center, and Dr. Dipesh Navsaria, a renowned pediatrician, moderated a discussion with speaker Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, the person responsible for exposing the Flint Water Crisis. Dr. Ron Ferguson, an MIT-trained economist, and David Jacobson, from the Educator Development Center’s First 10 initiative, also addressed the packed main ballroom.

Louisiana State Rep. Stephanie Ann Hilferty (R-district 94) received the Jack Tweedie Human Services and Early Learning Champion Award. The Losos Prizes for Innovation was presented to the Community Partnership Family Resource Center Parents as Teachers Program of Woodland Park, Colorado, and the United Way of Central Georgia.

Parent Educator of the Year awards were bestowed on Michelle Janosko, of the Keiki O Ka Aina Parents as Teachers program in Honolulu; Lydia Mayo of the Lexington School District Two/STAR Family Partnership in South Carolina; Gigi Towers from the Lexington County School District One Parenting Center in Lexington, S.C.; and Debra Washington of the Beaufort County School District Parents as Teachers (F.A.C.E.S.) program in Beaufort, S.C.

More than 80 workshops, awards presentations, mini-plenaries, exhibits, and Zumba and Yoga classes were offered. A fun-filled Night Out Networking session at the WWII Museum punctuated the weeklong event.

New to the conference was the awarding of affiliates that adopted and implemented new branding guidelines launched at last year’s conference. Recognized as the Branding Affiliate of the Year was the Kutest Kids’ Parents as Teachers affiliate from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

There were 211 Gold Standard Affiliates, 60 Silver Standard Affiliates and 62 Bronze Standard Affiliates, all recognized for implementing portions of the rebranding initiative in categories that included print materials, digital materials, promotional items, website and social media accounts.

Parents as Teachers’ annual international conference continues to attract a wide swath of early childhood development professionals. Last year, many gathered to learn best practices in home visiting, while others gained insights around strengthening families and preparing young children for entering kindergarten.

With each passing year, the conferences get bigger and better. Under the theme Unmasking Potential, 2,200 registered; 1,743 in person and 456 attended last year’s conference virtually. They helped usher in a new attendance record in New Orleans.

Presented to a sold-out audience, the conference amplified the importance of home visiting as a strategy to help address issues like maternal and infant mortality and morbidity, and advanced training on pre-natal support.

Parents as Teachers Board Members, Dr. Joshua Sparrow, executive director of the Brazelton Touchpoints Center, and Dr. Dipesh Navsaria, a renowned pediatrician, moderated a discussion with speaker Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, the person responsible for exposing the Flint Water Crisis. Dr. Ron Ferguson, an MIT-trained economist, and David Jacobson, from the Educator Development Center’s First 10 initiative, also addressed the packed main ballroom.

Louisiana State Rep. Stephanie Ann Hilferty (R-district 94) received the Jack Tweedie Human Services and Early Learning Champion Award. The Losos Prizes for Innovation was presented to the Community Partnership Family Resource Center Parents as Teachers Program of Woodland Park, Colorado, and the United Way of Central Georgia.

More than 80 workshops, awards presentations, mini-plenaries, exhibits, and Zumba and Yoga classes were offered. A fun-filled Night Out Networking session at the WWII Museum punctuated the weeklong event.

New to the conference was the awarding of affiliates that adopted and implemented new branding guidelines launched at last year’s conference. Recognized as the Branding Affiliate of the Year was the Kutest Kids’ Parents as Teachers affiliate from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

There were 211 Gold Standard Affiliates, 60 Silver Standard Affiliates and 62 Bronze Standard Affiliates, all recognized for implementing portions of the rebranding initiative in categories that included print materials, digital materials, promotional items, website and social media accounts.